Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 5/25/00
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   91

SLU MATH AWARENESS WEEK DRAWS 1,500 STUDENTS
     HAMMOND -- Give the following math problem the old college try.
     "While hitch hiking through the Milky Way, I stopped at the Intergalactic Hilton, one of
the best intergalactic hotels. Currently, the hotel is made up of 20 separate units, each with a
number of rooms designed for various species of space travelers. From each of the 20 units there
is an access tube to each of the other units. How may tubes are there?"
     Stumped? Try this one:
     "Change each letter to a digit to obtain a correct problem: ABA   CA = AB. What are the
correct values of A, B, and C?"
     More than 1,500 students in grades 5-12 tackled problems like these during the
Southeastern Louisiana University Mathematics Department's annual Math Awareness Week,
May 1-5. The students logged on to mathematic professor Kent Neuerburg's weg page to access
the questions.
     Winners, who received $25 gift certificates from the Southeastern Bookstore, were Gavin
Burris, Bayou Lacombe Middle School (grades 5-6); Jacek Bionski, Mandeville Junior High
School (grades 7-8); and Whitney Blades, Amite High School (grades 9-12).
     The math department also gave $25 gift certificates from ClassWorks in Hammond to the
teachers who had the most student participation: Michelle Dupris, Lee Road Junior High School;
Mary Barnes, Folsom Junior High School, and Ellen Ellinwood, Salmen High School.     
     "The math department is very pleased with the online contest's success," said Department
Head Katherine Pedersen. "I would think that this high level of student response would indicate
that the students of Tangipahoa Parish, St. Tammany Parish and surrounding parishes are very
interested in mathematics problems."
                             (MORE)
MATH PROBLEMS   Add One
     Each day during Math Awareness Week, Neuerburg posted problems online for middle
and junior high and for high school students. Students had until one minute before midnight each
day to submit their answers via the internet. 
     "It was quite rewarding to see so many of our area students handling the internet   and the
mathematics problems   so well," Neuerburg said. "We certainly want to continue to do this
every year."
     By the way, the answers are "190 access tubes," and "A=1, B=0, C=9."
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu./NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp00.htm